April 30, 2010

Fart Chart: Cow Emissions by State

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The EPA has spent nearly $15 million and two years studying bovine emissions to assess how they affect climate change. So what’s the result? This handy “fart chart” shows you exactly how much crap cows are putting into the air. Although the EPA’s original chart, here, only gives you the top 10, we’ve crunched the rest of the data so you can see exactly how flatulent your state’s cows are. Top 10 below, full list after the jump.

1. California  2. Wisonsin  3. New York  4. Pennsylvania  5. Minnesota  6. Idaho  7. Texas  8. Michigan  9. Ohio  10. Washington

  1. California
  2. Wisconsin
  3. New York
  4. Pennsylvania
  5. Minnesota
  6. Idaho
  7. Texas
  8. Michigan
  9. Ohio
  10. Washington
  11. Iowa
  12. New Mexico
  13. Vermont
  14. Missouri
  15. Indiana
  16. Florida
  17. Illinois
  18. Virginia
  19. Arizona
  20. Kentucky
  21. Kansas
  22. Oregon
  23. Utah
  24. Tennessee
  25. Colorado
  26. South Dakota
  27. Georgia
  28. Maryland
  29. Oklahoma
  30. Nebraska
  31. North Carolina
  32. Louisiana
  33. North Dakota
  34. Maine
  35. Arkansas
  36. Mississippi
  37. Connecticut
  38. Nevada
  39. Alabama
  40. South Carolina
  41. Massachusetts
  42. Montana
  43. New Hampshire
  44. West Virginia
  45. New Jersey
  46. Delaware
  47. Hawaii
  48. Wyoming
  49. Rhode Island
  50. Alaska

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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